Cartoners, or cartoner machines, typically are designed to insert a material or substance, or a package of material or substance, into a carton. For example, the cartoner machine may be configured to open or unfold a carton, insert the material or package into the carton and thereafter close the carton. Cartoners generally are designed to fill and close a large number of cartons in a relatively short period of time, and are typically incorporated into an assembly line. As such, it is important to minimize the amount of time required to fill and close the carton, while at the same time minimizing the number of malfunctions, including for example jamming, breaking or otherwise damaging the package and/or carton, which can lead to downtime of the machine.
Usually, cartoners are configured as vertical cartoners or horizontal cartoners. Typically, the same equipment cannot be used for both the horizontal and vertical cartoners, which can lead to a costly duplication of parts, floor space, and operation know-how.
Vertical cartoners typically insert a material or package of material vertically into a carton having an upwardly facing open end. In this way, gravity assists in the insertion and/or filling process. Typically, the cartons are intermittently or continuously conveyed or moved beneath a filling station at which the carton is filled. As such, in order to insert a product into a carton with vertical cartoning machine at high speed, complicated and expensive mechanisms and technology are required.
Horizontal cartoners typically insert a package of material horizontally into a carton, which typically is configured with an open end that faces sideways. Often, horizontal cartoners include a series of trays, which are shaped to hold the package (usually on three sides), and a series of push members, which gradually push the package horizontally from the tray into a carton as the tray and push members move together along the assembly line. In other configurations, a loader accelerates the package and inserts the package into the carton, which is intermittently stopped for loading. Typically, either of these types of systems requires additional equipment such as product conveyors and loading systems, which add to the cost of the system and an occupy valuable space on the production floor.